cyber day #1

Pericles came from a rich and high-ranking family. His aristocratic father had led the Athenian assemble and fought at the battle of Salamis in the Persian Wars. His mother was the niece of Cleisthenes, and the Athenian noble who had introduced important democratic reforms. Pericles was well known for his political achievements as leader of Athens. The introduction of direct democracy, a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives, was an important legacy or Periclean Athens. Few other city-states practices this government. In Athens, male citizens who served in the assembly established all the important government policies that affected the polis. After the defeat of the Persians, Athens helped organize the Delian League. In times, Athens took over leadership of the league and dominated all the city-states in it. Pericles used the money from the league's treasury to make the Athenian navy the strongest in the Mediterranean. A strong navy was important because it helped Athens strengthen the safety of its empire. Prosperity depended on gaining access to the surrounding waterways. Athens needed oversea trade to obtain supplies of grain and other raw materials. Athenian military might allowed Pericles too treat other members of the Delian League as part of the empire. Some cities in the Peloponnesus, however, resisted Athens and formed their own alliances.